


Youth

by Nightyhollow



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 11:33:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19991479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightyhollow/pseuds/Nightyhollow
Summary: Who was Kanza before becoming the Warrior of Light, how was his childhood?





	Youth

Travelling into the depths of Ishgard, where the light of the sun graces the streets for only a few moments throughout the day, Kanza traveled alone. An Elezen of his attire and grace was eyed at during his journey until he made his into a brothel. The man behind the counter looked up and smiled wide, seeing a customer with lots of money by the way he dressed. He gives Kanza his speech about the fact that he has the best women in all of Ishgard, how he could make the Elezen feel like the new King of Ishgard by having the women worship him at his feet.

Kanza looked down at the man. He was on the short end when it came to Elezen males, and more on the robust side as well. His hair was graying but still had a greasy sheen to it. The stench that came from him was a mix of wines, sweat, and perfumes mixed with a person who did not shower often. He was exactly the same as Kanza remembered.

Cutting the man off, he simply gave a name, "Ellaine". Smirking, the man lead the way to the room the woman he requested resided in. He continued on about how such a wise choice it was for him to pick, and that he had exquisite tastes, though how she was more on the expensive end if he was still willing. Once reaching the door, Kanza dropped a pouch of gil in the mans hand and stared him down until the man shuffled away, ready to start counting his coins.

Kanza looked at the door to the room, then the hallway before pressing down on the floor with his heel. Slowly, he opened the door as a blonde Elezen female was sitting on a chair facing the window, a view of the street was all she had. Her head slowly turned before glancing at the man's.

**-6 years old-**  
"Mama...tell me a story about my dad again" A small Elezen boy smiled as he looked up at his mother, resting his head in her lap

"Again? Very well." She let out a soft chuckled as she sighed "Now then...your father was a great Elezen warrior...and he came from a great city outside of Ishgard. Now what was the name of that city again? Hmmmm..."

"Gridania! There are plenty of Elezen that live there!" The boy happily responded

"You are right, my sweet prince. Your father came from Gridania, he served to protect the city from the dangers of the forest." She ran her hand through the boys hair, chuckling softly.

The boy grinned widely as he looked up at his mother before cocking his head to the side "What's your dream mama?"

"My dream? Well that is the easiest question you have ever asked me my dear! It is to see you become the great man I know you can be. To see you happy and healthy. Why do you ask?"

"Because...one day, I'm gonna make your dream come true!" He smiled widely

"Then I'm going to hold you to your word, now don't lie to your mother, lying is bad" She grinned as she began to tickle him, laughing at his thrashing about as he tried to get away from her tickling. There was a knock on the door and she would sigh. "Alright Kanza, I need you to go out and play...it is time for mommy to work, okay?"

Kanza groaned "Awwww, but why, I wanna hear more stories!"

"Well...if I don't work, then you can eat to grow up big and strong like your father. Though you also need to go out and play so you can get strong that way as well." She gently caressed his cheek.  
The boy contemplated it, then nodded "Yeah! I need to grow strong!" He jumped to his feet and made his way to the door, walking out. The short, greasy haired man glared at the boy before another man walked in.

**-8 years old-**  
"Well if that isn't my lovely Prince Pretty, what are you doing here?"

Kanza, his hair a bit longer, sat on a large sack of flour as sighing. "Mom's working again Aunt Sophie..."

"Awww, well she's gotta work a lot. It's not easy raising a child...even if we are helping her as well."

The boy looked down and away. "...When...do you think she'll get a break...from working so much?"

The woman sighed, covering the stew she was working on. "Don't think like that Kanza, because I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that if you weren't around, she wouldn't have to work so much."

The boy looked up at the woman, surprised by what she said "...how...did you know."  
She chuckled as she walked over to him, running a hand through his hair. "When you have the job we have, you have to pick up on the subtle clues people drop. If you don't, you might wind up hurt by not realizing a customer is more aggressive than they seem."

"...can...you show me how?" His bright blue eyes looked up at the woman.

"With such a cute face like that, how could I deny my lovely little Prince Pretty." She chuckled

**-10 years old-**  
"You bitch, when I say beg, you beg!" A man yelled before hitting Ellaine, her body slamming against the wall. "Now beg, beg you whore!"

Ellaine coughed as both the blow and collision with the wall sent everything spinning.

"Get away from my mom!" Kanza yelled as he rushed into the room, grabbing a stool and hitting the man with it with all he had.  
The man, caught off guard, stumbled to the ground before the boy continued to hit him with the stool. The man eventually ran out of the room and down the stairs, though that didn't matter to Kanza. Cheeking on his mother, there was a face of concern when she realized what happened. Eventually the brothel owner stormed up rushed into the room, grabbing Kanza and slamming him against the wall.

"You fucking brat, do you realize what you just did! Who that was! We were going to be on easy street and now we'll be lucky if we have enough for scraps!" He slammed his fist into the boy's face once before the woman scrambled up and grabbed the man's arm.

"Please, please, not him. I'll make it up, I promise, just let him go!" She begged as she looked into the man's eyes.

Tossing the boy to the bed, he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her out of the room. "Oh, that is an understatement if I ever heard one. You'll be making up for it for a long time"  
It would be hours before she returned to her room, her crying son sat up and ran to her as he wrapped his arms around her

"Mom! Mom I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make things bad like this!"

"Oh Kanza...I know you did not." She gently ran her hand through his hair, no longer needing to kneel down as he grew. "But if you are going to do something, if you are going to be involved in something that you know is serious, you have to be certain that you can deal with the consequences..."

He looked up at her, her face bloodied, bruised, swollen, though she kept smiling down at him. "Mama...." he cried, losing what little control he had left. "...your face..." 

"What...do you not think I'm pretty anymore?" She chuckled as she held him

"No...no...you're always pretty..." He sobbed into her

**-12 years old-**  
A cold winter's breeze ran through the Brume

"You see, you gotta open your eyes an pay attention to everyone and everything. Not only with what clothes they wear, how they speak, but any stains on them, any marks, everything." Kanza said as he sat on the street, sitting next to a dark haired girl, at least five years younger.

"But why?" The girl asked, red eyes looking up at him "Why should I?"

"Because that can tell you the person you're dealing with." He motioned to a man, walking hunched over. "See him. You think he's hunched and curled up cause he's cold, but he actually stole something. He's hiding it in his jacket because of the way his arms and hands are in his pocket. Instead of being relaxed, he's defensive. He's also looking around, a lot because he thinks the person he stole from knows."

The girl gasped "I can see it! Wow, you know a lot Kanza...do you think you'll become a knight of Ishgard? You could be...our hero! Someone we can look up to cause you're like us!"  
He chuckled as he patted her head "No Hilda...I don't think I'm going to. I want to...leave...get out. I want to see the world. I want to go out in the world and make a name for myself, then when I come back, I can get my mom out of here. I can get her a nice house and she doesn't have to work again."

**-14 years old-**  
"Mom...please...I can't leave you now, you're sick!" Kanza pleaded with the woman.

"Now now Kanza, you have to be better with how you use your words out there, otherwise people will chew you up and spit you out." The woman coughed as she continued to pack a backpack. "You don't belong here Kanza, you're...better than this, better than us."

"No, I'm not! I'm not better than you, you're better than everyone else! If I leave now, there'd be no one to stop that damned man from taking everything that's yours! How are you going to go see a healer if you aren't getting paid! I can get a job and help you!"

"I have been working hard since the day you were born and I have never regretted, not even once. Nothing is gonna change with you being gone, now that's enough of that talk."

"But mom, I have to-"

"I said enough!" She spoke with a sharp tone as she turned to look at him, a tone he had never heard her use before, which got him to stop. There was a faint cloud over her blue eyes, though it still held much compassion for her son. "Now there's a man who owes me a favor waiting for you outside Ishgard. He's going to take you where you want, but after that you have to stand on your own, do you understand."

"...yes mother..." He looked down, defeated as tears rolled down his eyes.

She sighed as she walked over and hugged him, burying her face into him. "I will be fine, I promise...but I need you to keep your promise and make my dream come true. This is the best chance for you to become the great man I've always envisioned. I know I was not the best mother...especially in the area I raised you in...but I did my best...and I want to see you become your own person." She leaned back as she cupped his face, her hands running over his face, remembering every little feature. "Now go...there's not much time before the guards go back to blocking the entrance..."

The two hugged for a moment, not knowing if they would see each other again. The woman give the boy a kiss on his forehead before the boy grabbed his bag and left the brothel without looking back. He couldn't look back, otherwise he would never leave. After an hour of making his way sneakily through the city, he found himself just shy of the Gates of Judgement. He then needed to get on the side of the mountain and climb off, least the guards at the entrance pull him back.

After maneuvering around, he pulled himself off the cliff face, a tall Elezen man, old in age, looked down at him. "Now those eyes are ones that I can never mistake. You must be Ellaine's son, Kanza, correct?"

"Yes..." he huffed as he caught his breath.

"I am Louisoix Leveilleur, a pleasure to meet you. So tell me, where do you want to go?"

"...Gridania...take me to Gridania..." The man slowly stood up, looking at his escort. "I'm going to become an adventurer...I'm going to make a name for myself...and then I'll come back for my mother."

Louisoix smilled softly, patting Kanza's shoulder. "I am certain you will become one of the best then..."

**-Present-**  
"Tell me a story Kanza..." The woman rested her head in his lap, pale orbs looking up at where his face would be.

"...well mother." He smiled as he ran his hand through her hair "Would you believe me that a group of turtle people summoned their god to kill me, which he just wanted to have a good fight and not kill me? Quiet the enjoyable person...well...Primal but still, one of the better ones."

She chuckled happily as her hand reached for his, grasping at nothing before he took hold of her hand. "I have missed you...so much..."

"...and I you..." He smiled before a frown graced his face as the man kicked the door in.

"You little thief, you tried to underpay me for this whore? We'll I'll show you..." He stopped as he looked at the two, the connection being made "...Kanza?

"Ah...so you do remember me? And here I thought you forgot all about me...Sir..."

"See, your mother has been taken care of. There's no need to worry about the past, we've moved on from that. Look at you, so grown and strong! I'm proud I could help with you becoming the man you are now!"

"You had no hand in becoming who I am today, all credit goes to the women that work here, my real family." He glared daggers through the man "Wait here a moment mother...I would like to have some words with a person I have been dying to talk to for a number of years."

"Kanza..." She held on protectively

"Mother...if you are going to do something, if you are going to be involved in something that you know is serious, you have to be certain that you can deal with the consequences..." He gently moved her as he stood up, making his way to the man. "And these consequences...I have been dealing with them for years...no more. I am the Warrior of Light and I will save you."


End file.
